Giriraj Singh tours IHGF Delhi Fair Autumn 2026 in Greater Noida
Synopsis
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh toured the IHGF Delhi Fair (Autumn 2026) at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida on 13 October 2026, highlighting Indian artisans' skill in handicrafts, home décor, furniture, and lifestyle products at the EPCH-organised showcase.
Key Takeaways
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh visited the IHGF Delhi Fair (Autumn 2026) at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida on 13 October 2026 .
The fair, organised by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) , is one of Asia's largest trade exhibitions for handicrafts, home décor, furniture, and lifestyle products.
Singh praised the 'skill, creativity, and rich craft tradition' of Indian artisans as reflected in the exhibition's diversity.
The Ministry of Textiles has backed successive IHGF editions for over two decades as part of its artisan outreach and export promotion agenda.
The autumn edition is strategically timed — buyers finalise holiday-season sourcing, making orders placed here critical to artisan incomes over the winter months.
India's handicraft artisans put their finest work on display at Greater Noida's India Expo Centre and Mart on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 — and Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh was there to see it firsthand, walking the floor of the IHGF Delhi Fair (Autumn 2026) and taking in the full sweep of what Indian craftspeople can produce.
Posting on X after the visit, the minister wrote: 'हस्तशिल्प, होम डेकोर, फर्नीचर और लाइफस्टाइल उत्पादों की विविधता भारतीय कारीगरों के कौशल, रचनात्मकता और समृद्ध शिल्प परंपरा को दर्शाती है' — ('The diversity of handicrafts, home décor, furniture, and lifestyle products reflects the skill, creativity, and rich craft tradition of Indian artisans.')
What the IHGF Delhi Fair represents for Indian artisans
The IHGF Delhi Fair is one of the largest domestic trade exhibitions for handicrafts, gifts, home décor, and lifestyle products in Asia. Organised by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), it has run for over two decades and serves as the primary bridge between India's traditional crafts clusters and both domestic and international buyers.
The fair is held at the sprawling India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, a venue that has become the default home for large-scale national trade exhibitions. For MSME exporters and artisans alike, a place at the fair represents rare direct access to buyers without the layered middlemen that typically compress their margins.
Textiles Ministry's long-running stake in craft promotion
The visit fits a deliberate pattern. Successive editions of the IHGF fair have been used by the Ministry of Textiles as visible proof of government commitment to India's artisan economy — communities that contribute meaningfully to rural employment and export earnings but rarely command prime-time attention. The ministry's backing of EPCH over the decades has helped scale the fair from a niche trade event into a fixture on the national export calendar.
For Giriraj Singh, the Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, Bihar, an engagement with artisan communities carries particular political and economic resonance — Bihar and the wider eastern belt are home to significant handicraft and weaving traditions that depend heavily on export linkages these fairs help create.
The autumn edition of the IHGF fair is a signal moment: buyers finalise their sourcing ahead of the global holiday season, meaning orders placed here often translate directly into workshop income over the winter months. Every stall the minister walked past on Tuesday represents a livelihood chain that runs deep into India's hinterland.
Point of View
Especially as global demand for handmade home goods grows post-pandemic. For Giriraj Singh, whose constituency in Bihar sits within an artisan-dense belt, engagement with EPCH's flagship fair also reinforces a grassroots economic narrative. The Textiles Ministry's consistent patronage of such events reflects a broader policy consensus that domestic trade fairs are a cost-effective tool for linking informal-sector artisans to formal export channels. The real test, however, is whether ministerial visibility translates into sustained scheme support and credit access for the MSME artisans who actually staff these stalls.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IHGF Delhi Fair?
The IHGF Delhi Fair is one of Asia's largest trade exhibitions for handicrafts, gifts, home décor, furniture, and lifestyle products, organised by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). It is held at India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida and runs twice a year — spring and autumn editions.
Why did Giriraj Singh visit the IHGF Delhi Fair Autumn 2026?
As Union Textiles Minister, Giriraj Singh visited the fair on 13 October 2026 to observe the range of Indian handicraft and lifestyle products on display, underscoring the government's support for artisan communities and export promotion through EPCH.
Where is the India Expo Centre and Mart located?
India Expo Centre and Mart is located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and serves as the primary venue for large-scale national and international trade fairs in north India.
What is the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH)?
EPCH is a government-backed body under the Ministry of Textiles that promotes exports of Indian handicrafts. It organises the IHGF Delhi Fair and works to connect artisan clusters with domestic and international buyers.
How does the IHGF autumn fair benefit Indian artisans?
The autumn edition is timed to coincide with global holiday-season sourcing cycles, meaning orders placed at the fair directly support artisan workshop income over the winter months and help small producers access export markets without multiple middlemen.
